Corey Crawford of Blackhawks could return Friday

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford could return to face the Colorado Avalanche at United Center on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET; CSN-CH, ALT), coach Joel Quenneville said Sunday.
Crawford has been out since he had an emergency appendectomy in Philadelphia on Dec. 3, the same day the Blackhawks lost 3-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. He stayed off the ice about a week before returning for individual work in Chicago last week.

After Chicago returned from a three-game road trip, Crawford was on the ice Sunday prior to its 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks. The Blackhawks didn't practice Monday, but Crawford might participate in the morning skate before their game against the Ottawa Senators at United Center on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET; CSN-CH, RDS2, TSN5). He could practice either Wednesday or Thursday and then start against Colorado in the Blackhawks final game before the Christmas break.
"He was out there [Sunday] with some players, and so he got some good work again," Quenneville said. "There's a possibility [he could return] before [Christmas]. Looks good. Feels better. We'll look at [Dec. 23] as an option."

Goalie Scott Darling has made nine straight starts during Crawford's absence, going 6-2-1 and winning his past five. After showing signs of possible fatigue in the Blackhawks' 6-4 win at the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, Darling rebounded with a 33-save performance in the victory against the Sharks on Sunday.
Darling, who is expected to start Tuesday, has a 1.90 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in this stretch filling in for Crawford, who's 12-6-2 with a 2.27 GAA and .927 save percentage in 20 starts.
"I want to play as much as I can during this stretch," Darling said. "I don't really try to twist [Quenneville's] arm in any way at all. I just told him I wanted to play [Sunday] and that was that, and he told me I was playing."
Darling has played a big role in the Blackhawks' five-game winning streak, but they're looking forward to Crawford's return. Crawford's numbers are inflated by Chicago's 29th-ranked penalty kill (73.9 percent), but he has a 1.39 GAA and .955 save percentage, allowing 22 goals on 484 shots, during 948:58 of even-strength play
"We can go back and say every game's been different, but I think we know why we won some games earlier on," Quenneville said. "Our goaltending was outstanding and we had some timely goals by some key guys."